Saturday, December 20, 2014

Finger-Tip Drag:
Swim regular freestyle. When your arm is out of the water (recovery phase) keep
your elbow pointed toward the sky and your fingertips pointing down toward the
water. Allow your fingertips (about 1/2 inch) to drag through the water from
your hips all the way past your head.

Catch-Up:
Swim regular freestyle. As you take a stroke with your right arm, keep your
left arm extended forward in the water. Complete the stroke with your right arm
and after it enters the water above your head, tap your left hand. This signals
the start of the stroke with your left arm. Keep your right arm extended
forward in the water until the left stroke is completed and hands tap together.

Catch-Up w/Board or Stick or Single Paddle:
Use a sideways kick-board or a stick to perform the drill above. Keep your
hands shoulder-width apart and exchange the board or stick from hand-to-hand
between each stroke.

Shark Drill:
Use a pull buoy or a kick board between your thighs. After the finish of each
stroke, reach back and tap the part of the buoy that is above water. This drill
emphasizes finishing your stroke all the way to mid-thigh.

Sailboat Drill:
Hold a kick board between your thighs. Make sure 1/2 of the board is sticking
below your body when you swim freestyle. Use your core muscles to control your
hip rotation (while the board tries to prevent rotation).

Fist Drill:
Swim regular freestyle. Ball your hands into fists and work on high elbow catch
and pull under the water.

6-kick-switch:
When you push off the wall, take one underwater pull with your right arm and
pause (right arm against your side, left arm extended overhead) for 6 kicks.
After six kicks, complete the stroke with your right arm, tap your left hand,
and repeat with your left arm.

3-6-3:
Take three strokes and pause on your right side with right arm extended forward
and your left arm lying on left side. Remain in this position for six kicks.
Take three more strokes and pause on your left side for six kicks. Repeat.

Single-Arm Drill:
For learning the correct pulling motion. Grasp a small kickboard in your left
hand and extend your left arm above your head. Swim a lap of the pool with just
right arm strokes. This will allow you to focus on a perfect underwater pull
with your right arm. Switch arms and swim another lap.

Thumb-Drag Drill:
Swim a lap of freestyle while you drag your thumb along the side of your leg as
you lift your arm out of the water. At the beginning, you might feel your thumb
drag along your rib cage, waist, or hip. This means you are not finishing to
the middle of your thigh. You have a complete finish when you feel your thumb
dragging along the side of your leg.

Tarzan Drill:
Swim freestyle with your head out of the water. Look forward as if you were
sighting a buoy or landmark in open water. Keep your head out of the water for
the entire 25 to strengthen your neck muscles for triathlon swimming!

Underwater Recovery Drill:
Swim freestyle but do not let your arms exit the water at the end of the
underwater pull. As your hand reaches your thigh, bend your elbow and slide
your hand forward along the side of your body. This is very similar to
doggy-paddle but with an entire underwater stroke. Keep your head in the water
and breathe to the side like normal.

Reverse Catch-up Drill:
Push off the wall with both hands on your thighs. Take a complete stroke with
your right arm, when it completes the rotation and touches your thigh, that is
the signal to start the next stroke with your left arm. Continue alternating
arms, with the non-stroking hand resting against your thigh.

This 5,850-yard swim set (all 75s) but you can adapt it with a warmup/cool down and one set of each instead of building them together. Carve out a good chunk of pool time and prepare to create a deficit for all those cookies you’re about to eat.

Here’s how it works: Each “day” is one 75, broken up in a different way. You’ll swim day 1. Then you’ll swim day 2, day 1. Then day 3, day 2, day 1. The idea is to keep adding on to the set and work your way back to number one. Choose a comfortable interval that will give you about 10 seconds rest every 75.

Sung (at least somewhat) to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a 75 free!
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, one free-drill-free and a 75 free!
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, one hypoxic 3/5/3, one free-drill-free and a 75 free!

Tarzan Drill:
Swim freestyle with your head out of the water. Look forward as if you were sighting a buoy or landmark in open water. Keep your head out of the water for the entire 25 to strengthen your neck muscles for triathlon swimming!
Fist Drill:
Swim regular freestyle. Ball your hands into fists and work on high elbow catch and pull under the water.
Finger-Tip Drag:
Swim regular freestyle. When your arm is out of the water (recovery phase) keep your elbow pointed toward the sky and your fingertips pointing down toward the water. Allow your fingertips (about 1/2 inch) to drag through the water from your hips all the way past your head.
3-6-3:
Take three strokes and pause on your right side with right arm extended forward and your left arm lying on left side. Remain in this position for six kicks. Take three more strokes and pause on your left side for six kicks. Repeat.
Shark:
Use a pull buoy or a kick board between your thighs. After the finish of each stroke, reach back and tap the part of the buoy that is above water. This drill emphasizes finishing your stroke all the way to mid-thigh.

About Me

I am a wife, mother of 2 boys, stay at home mom, group fitness instructor, and preschool teacher. I also coach triathletes and work as a personal trainer...BUT I still consider myself a stay at home mom!